Advice on quitting smoking

theycallmearth
theycallmearth Posts: 196 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've decided that part of my journey towards health has to include quitting smoking.

Any and all advice from folks who have managed to quit is welcomed.
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Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    I quit cold turkey and I slept a lot. Two pack a day for 10 years and haven't had a cigarette in 25 years. One day at a time. You can do this!!
  • 6502programmer
    6502programmer Posts: 515 Member
    Wellbutrin and EZ-quit did it for me.
  • amazetome
    amazetome Posts: 637 Member
    I did Chantix. I know a lot of people have really bad side effects from it, but I was lucky enough to not have any until I'd already stopped smoking. About two weeks after my last cigarette, I did have to give up the Chantix, but it got me through the hardest part. It's been 6 years and I haven't smoked since.
  • Shay726
    Shay726 Posts: 14 Member
    I quiy cold turkey..what helped me is simply knowing that the craving passes after a few minutes. Staying busy and not thinking about it.
  • FleaBailey
    FleaBailey Posts: 18 Member
    Nicotine patches for about 21 days and a total change of environment for 10 days (hospitalization for respiratory problems) worked for me after 2 packs a day for 40+ years. I've been clean for 20+ months so I think I made it. With me it seems to have been more of a psychological addiction than a physical one--your experience may be different. I also got an e-cigarette that I could hold onto at bad times--I'd promise myself I'd use it if I still felt the need after 30 minutes. I never did, but it kept me from panicking. Do without the e-cigarette if you can; if you can't, no shame.
  • SammyDee2015
    SammyDee2015 Posts: 285 Member
    40+ years as a smoker who tried all there was to help me quit. Some worked for a couple months but they were just another way to keep the nicotine in the body. Clean now almost two years. Turned out what worked was to just ALLOW myself to stop. Cold turkey using a weeks vacation & stock the cupboards with every freaking food i loved. I listened to all allan carr videos on my phone on day one to help my subconcious. Slept n ate, n played Sims, n ate some more, n watched movies, then did it again.and again and again. The side effects of smelling, n sweating/farting out the toxins abated to tolerable by day 10 but i stayed away from corner stores for months.You know what? I dont miss the fear. Its not there anymore. That next fix is no longer part of my life. I wish I could have done this 40 years ago. Glad you are about to discover your strength too. :)
  • ephiemarie
    ephiemarie Posts: 264 Member
    edited October 2015
    I smoked 1+ packs/day for 15 years and quit cold turkey almost 3 years ago. Chantix and Wellbutrin didn't work for me (negative side effects). Nicotine gum and patches didn't work either. "Cutting back" (ha! we've all told ourselves that one, right?) didn't work.

    I finally just stopped. I went to bed early to avoid the horrible evening cravings, ate far too much ice cream, and only paid at the pump when putting gas in my car to avoid the convenience store temptation. The first 2 weeks were the most difficult, but after that it got easier. Like FleaBailey above, I had an e-cigarette I kept for "emergency" purposes and used a handful of times in the car and on grouchy days. Knowing that I had it prevented me from buying actual cigarettes. During my quit phase, I avoided most things that were previously associated with smoking, like beer and sitting outside and gabbing with friends on the phone. I drank a ton of water and more coffee than usual.

    Aside from the obvious, I was motivated by realizing how much money I was actually saving by staying out of gas stations. It was also really freaking fabulous to NOT STINK anymore, which increased my confidence and improved my marriage.

    Once I was through the worst of the quitting and was left with 20 lbs. of ice cream on my frame, I started the C25K running program (which would have been just laughable prior to quitting) and never looked back. Honestly, I'm probably a little addicted to exercise now, but whatever. I still get my "me" time and feel a million times better.



  • ladymuaythai
    ladymuaythai Posts: 1,298 Member
    Just watch some Allen Carr vids. It'll be almost a year for me and I've nvr second thought it. Cold turkey is defs the way to go.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I have never been a smoker myself, but I have heartbreakingly watched my boyfriend try to quit smoking since 1991. He tried everything to no effect. Finally, two years ago, he took up vaping. He purchased high quality devices, gradually reduced the nicotine percentages in the juice and he never smoked a cigarette again. It has been the best thing that has ever happened to him and to us.
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
    I used to smoke almost 2 pack a day. I cut back to one pack. So I tried a method of quitting I hadn't b efore (id quit cold turkey before and didn't smoke for 8 years)

    1.) Week 1 thru four full flavor 100s and quit smoking in car in house
    2.) Week 4 thru 6 light 100s quit smoking after dinner meals or while on computer or stress situations cut back to half pack
    3.) Week 7 ultra light 100s and cut down to 5 to 0 cigs a day by this point I felt rediculous smoking wgat seemed like air and just stopped! This taper was much eadiet less craving.
  • jaywirth88
    jaywirth88 Posts: 66 Member
    I used chantix as well. My biggest side effects was EXTREMELY vivid dreams of doing the most mundane things in the world. Lol. I didnt even have to use the full packs, and i have been smoke free for over 4 yrs and cant stand cigs now.
    Chantix doesnt make you sick when you smoke or anything. You smoke when you start it and pick a date a few weeks ahead to be your official 'quit date.' It starts with not feeling the need to finish an entire cigarette, to wondering why you even lit up in the first place cause you have no desire to smoke. I completly quit a few days before my quit date, while i was in the field w/ my unit (which is when everyone chain smokes like crazy because there is nothing else to do!)
    Whichever way you choose, good luck and...

    YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!
  • JustChristy79
    JustChristy79 Posts: 156 Member
    I smoked a pack a day for about 20 years. I made a quit date, bought lots of sour candy & cinnamon gum, and made a giant poster with a list of what I'd do when cravings hit. I taped it to the door to my garage (my smoking spot) then threw out all my ashtrays & cigarettes. When the cravings hit, I was ready.

    1. Go for a walk.
    2. Take a shower.
    3. Call someone who understands.
    4. Take a drive.
    5. Go see a movie.
    6. Hit the punching bag.
    7. Go to quitnet.com

    Best wishes! You really can do it! It's not easy, but it's sooooo worth it! : )
  • MiSo_SeXy
    MiSo_SeXy Posts: 210 Member
    I need with too... Sigh
  • ligiam1412
    ligiam1412 Posts: 223 Member
    edited October 2015
    After smoking for 4 years I gave vaping a try. As soon as I took my first inhale of flavored vapor, cigarettes tasted sooooo nasty to me. I started cutting back from a half a pack to a pack a day to 5 a day that same day, in a week I went from 5 to 2 a day and in another week no more cigarettes. I can say this worked for me extremely well, I haven't smoked in 5 months and do not intend to at all. Some might say vaping is bad as well but it's 90 something percent healthier than smoking cigarettes according to a recent study. Vaping also gives you the option to, not only switch flavors as well as your clouds and throat hit, but to start lowering your nicotine intake progressively! I started at 18mg of nicotine and am at 12mg at the moment, planning on lowering to 9 before the end of the year. My goal is to reach 0mg next year. If you'd like any advice on vaping and what to get feel free to message me!! I love to talk about vaping!
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I quit cold turkey May 1st last year.

    I set a quit date a la Alan Carr and geared myself up for two weeks thinking it was going to be really really hard.

    On the day, I replaced the urge to get up and go for a cigarette with getting up and doing some chores.

    By the end of the first day, I knew I could do it. I was so prepared for its difficulty, it was much easier than I'd thought it would be.

    I used sleeping tablets the first few nights, and wasn't a wreck in the slightest.

    Hope this helps, and good luck with your quitting. You can do it!

  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
    I quit Jan 1, 2014, cold turkey.

    Can't tell you how glad I am - I feel so much better and different. I don't stink, my lung capacity is just WOW, I'm not sick all the time, and I'm not tied to a habit (always making sure I had cigarettes on me, lighter, where can I smoke here...).

    For me, it came down to 2 things:
    1. Being ready to say I will never, ever smoke again. There will never again be a cigarette for me (I even took a picture of the last one, lol) - no one more, no just a little, nada. I know people who can smoke occasionally in a social situation, but I'm not one of them. You just have to be ready to quit and never smoke again - because it's really hard at first.

    2. Knowing that cravings are short lived, and come and go in bouts. Even the worst cravings only last a few minutes - if you can distract yourself, they DO pass and you get to pat yourself on the back for not caving. And certain marker periods come along for some weird reason - 6 months in, I really wanted to smoke.

    I psyched myself up for it. Read a lot, thought a lot about it, and that helped power me through the first couple weeks. Also google "what happens when you quit smoking" to see a list of physiological changes that happen over time. That helps too.
  • theycallmearth
    theycallmearth Posts: 196 Member
    I want to thank everyone for all the advice and encouragement. It means a lot.
  • BewitchedBelinda99
    BewitchedBelinda99 Posts: 253 Member
    I had nicotine lozenges but only used them for a week or two. Then i chewed gum or drank OJ or ice water. 2 years 8 months now and so wish i'd done it sooner as my lungs are still bad! Good luck.
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    It ain't easy - I've been quit since 1997 - I tried the gum & smoked with it - I finally just made up my mind and quit cold turkey - You can do it! - There is lots of good advice & support here - Eastcoast Jim
  • ksj2692
    ksj2692 Posts: 3 Member
    I quit cold turkey and I think what really helped me was drinking lots of water. I'm talking over a hundred oz of water. I feel like it sped up the withdraw symptoms and I peaked sooner than other times when I attempted to quit and I believe it dulled the intensity a bit. Everyone's different so finding what works for you is important and just looking up strategies can be enough to get you through a craving.

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